AIM flunkers

The top officials and labor lawyers of the Asian Institute of Management need to take summer classes on labor laws and labor-management relations.

The region’s oldest and the country’s top MBA school just lost another two crucial labor cases in its ongoing fight with the AIM Faculty Association.

The first was the crucial certification election being asked by faculty association, which the AFA initially lost at the mediator-arbiter level, who had upheld the management position that the professors could not form a union since they were supposed to be management employees.

This view was roundly rejected by Labor Undersecretary Romeo Lagman, who issued a decision “by authority of the [Labor] secretary.”

“The faculty members, at the most, simply direct or supervise the operations level of the institution to accomplish objectives set by those above them,” Lagman said.

“They are mere functionaries with simple oversight functions and not business administrators in their own right.”

“Their authority is not effective and not an exercise of independent judgment as required by law,” Lagman added.

The second AIM setback was when the National Labor Relations Commission also reversed another labor arbiter, who had initially dismissed the complaint filed by AFA president Emmanuel Leyco; NLRC Commissioner Raul Aquino ruled that Leyco has the right and personality to file a representative lawsuit on monetary compensation in behalf of the faculty association.

AIM is represented by former Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma; the faculty association, by the Yorac Arroyo Chua Caedo and Coronel Law Firm. –Victor Agustin, Manila Standard Today